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TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE AT THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
by Phyllis Randolph Frye, Transgendered
At the planning meeting for the first March on Washington, I had
to visibly boycott the meeting to get "transgender" recognized in
the brochure. During the second march, I noticed that the
transgender community was once again given a short shrift by those
in charge. Now I note a third march: the transgender community was
omitted one more time from the name, but we are mentioned in the
literature.
So, I keep asking myself, why should the transgender community
attend and march alongside lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and
supportive heterosexuals for equal rights under the Constitution?
The answer for us is the same as the answer for supportive
heterosexuals: demanding equal rights for anyone is the right thing
to do! It is worthwhile to help to open any window to help any
oppressed people!
This March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay and Bisexual (and
should also be for Transgender) Rights is the place for any
freedom-loving person to be - whether recognized or not. Further,
as most prejudice against transgendered people is based on
homophobia, any "sexual orientation" gains made in law by lesbians,
gays, and bisexuals may assist in attitude - but not necessarily
legal - changes regarding transgenderals.
Sexual orientation does not include transgenderals! The suspect
classification term for transgenderals is Gender Identification.
When this March is over, and lesbians, gays, and bisexuals are
discussing legislative and lobbying strategies, push, push, and
push again to ensure that the terms put forth are "sexual
orientation" and "gender identification" is included.
Insist that the term "transgender" is included. They used to
say gay. Then they learned to say lesbian and gay. Now they are
learning to say lesbian, gay, bisexual. Insist that they learn to
say lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Insist that they learn
to say sexual orientation and gender identification. Insist that
the inclusion of others does not stop with the continuing exclusion
of transgender community!
Phyllis Randolpy Frye is an out of the closet attorney since
1981
LABOR ON THE MARCH
by Michael Broder
If there's one thing that most queers have in common - Lesbian,
Gay, Bi, or Transgender - it's that we work for a living. In fact,
like all working people, we probably spend more of our waking hours
on the job than we do in any other activity. And the workplace is
where we may encounter some of the greatest challenges we will ever
face as sexual minorities in a pervasively heterosexist society.
Wherever we work - on an assembly line, behind a desk, in a
classroom, ploughing a wheatfield in Kansas, defending an oil field
in Kuwait - we face daily threats to our dignity, our pride, and
sometimes our physical safety.
Workplace discrimination may be as subtle as a missing "and
guest" on our invitation to the company dinner, or as blatant as a
pink slip for failing to conform to the "traditional standards and
values" espoused by our employer. Workplace harassment may come as
the barely-audible whispers of meanspirited coworkers around the
office, or as a brutal beating at the hands of vicious thugs in the
factory parking lot. I know of one gay emergency medical service
employee who was asked by his union to form a lesbian and gay
issues committee, and subsequently became the target of harassment
by his coworkers because of his visible gay leadership role. And
I know of a lesbian construction worker who would like to be out on
her job, but remains closeted because she has the very legitimate
fear that her certifiably homophobic coworkers may retaliate
against her. "How hard would it be," she asks, "for one of the
guys on the site to `accidently' push me off a catwalk 250 feet
above the pavement?"
In fact, we may not even be able to get the job that we want-
that we deserve-because of the anti-gay discrimination that is
often "company policy" in this country; everywhere from the Cracker
Barrel restaurant to the Pentagon, where our own tax dollars are
spent hunting us down and destroying our careers and our lives.
Remember the epitaph that the late Leonard Matlovich composed for
his own tombstone: "In Vietnam, they gave me a medal for killing
two men, and a court martial for loving one."
That's why queers who work must come to Washington on April 25.
We've got to send a message - loud and clear - that we have a right
to work wherever our abilities and our ambition take us; that we
have a right to the same family leave and bereavement benefits as
our straight colleagues; that our domestic partners have a right to
the same health insurance and survivor's benefits granted to the
spouses of workers in officially sanctioned relationships. We all
have a right to work without fearing that our dignity or our
physical safety may be threatened by our employers, by our
colleagues, or by anyone with whom we must come into contact in the
faithful performance of our professional duties.
Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to win the rights
that we deserve. As President Clinton declared last Veterans Day
in response to a reporter's question about gays in the military,
"We need everyone in America that's got a contribution to make,
that's willing to obey the law and work hard and play by the
rules." But the winds of change are sure to swirl at times into
storms of opposition, and so we must come together in unity and
resolve to maintain a steady and relentless course toward our
goals. The President, the legislators, the unions, and the bosses-
even the best intentioned ones-can't give us better working
conditions unless we clearly state our needs, our wishes, and our
demands.
In order to further our right to work in safety, dignity, and
pride, the Organizing Committee for a National Coalition of Lesbian
and Gay Labor Activists is sponsoring two events for working queers
and their supporters during the March weekend. The first event is
a reception on Saturday, April 24, from 2-4 pm at AFL-CIO National
Headquarters, 815 16th St, NW in Washington, DC, where we can get
acquainted and pick up specially-designed hats and t-shirts to
identify ourselves as union members at the march on Sunday.
The second event is an open planning meeting for a National
Lesbian and Gay Labor Conference. The meeting will take place on
Monday, April 26-the day after the March-from 9am to 4pm at a
location still to be determined. The conference is scheduled for
June 23-25, 1994, in New York City, to coincide with the 25th
anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that marked the beginning of the
modern lesbian and gay rights movement. It will build on the
success of the first-every East Coast Lesbian and Gay Labor
Conference, which was held in June, 1992 in New York City and
organized by the Lesbian and Gay Labor Coalition.
The Organizing Committee for a National Coalition of Lesbian and
Gay Labor Activists comprises activists from many different unions
and other labor organizations, including the Gay and Lesbian Labor
Activists Network in Massachusetts, the Lesbian and Gay Labor
Coalition in New York, and various locals of the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the Service
Employees International Union, the Communication Workers of
America, and the United Automobile Workers. For more information
about the labor events in Washington in April, call (617)426-0410,
ext. 307, for a continually updated recorded message and a chance
to leave a message of your own.
And remember, if you're queer and you work, come to the March.
Michael Broder co-chairs the Queer Caucuses of the National
Writers Union/New York Local.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF COLOR COMMUNITIES
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
As you are aware, April 25, 1993 is the date of the next March
on Washington, The march in 1987 was a resounding success, and
plans are underway to make this year's march an even bigger
success.
I am writing this letter to all of you in the hopes that you may
come to a better understanding of the need for greater minority
participation. I have attended many marches, demonstrations, and
conferences in an attempt to be part of the driving forces to make
this country more inclusive of lesbian, gay, transgendered, and
bisexual persons. More often than not the absence of people of
color has been a source of disappointment to me. We should all
know that if we don't make our presence known, we remain invisible.
It is a common misconception that black people or people of color
are gay only due to some influence by a white person. This
thinking implies that we (people of color) are incapable of
expressing our innate sexuality unless someone else validates us.
Sisters and brothers, it is time to make a change and stop
accepting the leftovers after others have made a difference. This
attitude that we need not make waves toward the establishment must
not be allowed to prevail. A change will not come for us unless we
make our existence known.
What better time to make our statement than now? For the first
time in history we have elected a president who has given us hope
that our voices will be heard and our needs addressed at the
administrative level of the federal government. Yet we must
remember that those homophobic voters in Colorado are not alone in
their negative thinking regarding acceptance of our diversity.
Today, Colorado; tomorrow, the rest of the United States if we
remain silent.
I have arranged for buses to depart the Philadelphia area en
route to Washington, D.C., in hopes of having a contingent of
people of color to make a presence. If you are "closeted" or
cannot be there physically for whatever reasons we are in need of
donations to sponsor those less fortunate to attend, PWAs, or
persons who are HIV-positive and willing to attend.
Hope to see you in Washington on April 25!
Sincerely,
Constance Ratliff-Campbell
Editor-Publisher
The Griot Press***Philadelphia, Pa.